With the release of FTM 2017, we introduced a new feature called the Sync Weather Report, also included in FTM 2019. The concept is simple - providing a quick, clear way to know if there are any potential problems with syncing, so you can keep your family tree data safe and secure.
This article explains what the different sync weather states mean and answers related questions.
Q: What kinds of sync weather I might see in the weather report?
A: There are three different sync weather states:
Q: How long can I expect Red or Orange Sync Weather to last?
A: We go to Red Weather status during any interruption in connections with Ancestry sync servers, even if only for a few seconds. Those interruptions are usually very brief — from a few seconds up to about five minutes at the most. But out of due caution, once the connections appear to have been restored, we go from Red to Orange status for one hour. If there are no more interruptions, after one hour we go back to Green status.
Q: What causes Red Sync Weather?
A: There are many possible causes for sync connection interruptions, and virtually all of them are outside our control. Working closely with Ancestry we analyze each interruption and work together on making the system more interruption-proof. We have great systems in place to constantly monitor the status of more than dozens of sync connections to servers around the world. The challenge is to keep interruptions from happening, which engineers at both companies are working on.
Q: How safe is it to sync during Orange Sync Weather?
A: We leave open the possibility to sync during Orange status between interruptions in service, and in most cases that’s going to be perfectly safe. But because there is an elevated chance that there will be another interruption coming, we recommend that users not sync when the status is Orange if they can wait. If you have an urgent need to sync and the weather is Orange, make sure you have taken care to make a manual backup of your tree first. Click here for instructions.